Jillayne T. Flanders
Thomas C. Passios Outstanding Principal
National Distinguished Principal

When asked to write a letter in support of the nomination of Jillayne Flanders for the Thomas C. Passios Outstanding Principal of the Year Award, the Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Christine Sweklo, offered that Jill is a “role model to her teachers and students as a life-long learner, continually engaging in professional development activities and graduate study.”  Ms. Sweklo continued that Jill has a “passion for the success of young children as learners and human beings.”

Jill Flanders has been a principal for 22 years, first at the Hadley Elementary School and for the past ten years at the Plains Elementary School in South Hadley.  The Plains Elementary School serves the youngest children in the district, focusing on the early childhood education of all of the Pre-Kindergarten through first grade students.  A teacher at Plains Elementary School described Jill as a passionate leader.  She cited Jill’s dedication and commitment to providing the necessary support for children with special needs.  “Under Jill’s leadership the Plains School has developed the STaR Program (Specialty Teaching and Readiness)…designed to best meet the needs of children with autism and other challenges.”  The team approach and collegiality that is evident in the school has led to the successful integration of special needs students where they have access to the regular curriculum and the opportunity to succeed along side of their peers.

In addition to her work as an elementary principal, Jill wears many other hats.  She is a co-founder and leading force in the development of the South Hadley Network for Children – a collaboration of private, family and public early care providers that seek to meet the educational needs of children from birth to grade one, including special needs children.  This network has “evolved because of a belief that collaboration within a community can benefit everyone, but most especially children and their families.”  The Network is a model for state and national early education and care collaborations and has been cited in the Pew Foundation Report and on NAESP’s web site for best practices.

Jill’s exceptional dedication to education is well described by a clinical consultant to the Plains School.  Dr. James Levine describes Jill as “creative, enthusiastic, hopeful, a wonderful listener, and genuinely kind.  She is a real ‘on the ground’ principal who works…closely with the members of her school community.”  He goes on to say that her “problem solving skills are strong and she continually demonstrates her willingness to alter the school and classroom environment in support of her students’ wildly disparate needs.  Simply put, she ‘gets it’ on every level.”

Jill also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Westfield State College and as a mentor in the MESPA Certification Program for Administrator Licensure (CPAL).  In this capacity Jill has had a tremendous impact on the preparation of educators for their future roles in both early childhood education and in school administration.  As one CPAL student noted, she “provided excellent support and guidance throughout my 300 hours of practicum work based on the administrative standards as expected by the state…. she invited me to her school…to help round out my experiences in leadership, curriculum, school governance and structure, as well as discipline.”

 As a member of the MESPA and MESPEF Boards of Directors, Jill has served as the President of the Association and as the MESPA Representative to the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).  In her board leadership roles, she has always served with distinction, offering a balanced perspective on myriad issues and topics for discussion.  Most recently, Jill has been serving on the NAESP Resolutions Committee, one of the most important committees of that Association.  In this role, along with colleagues from across the nation, Jill has worked tirelessly on revisions to the Association Platform that describes its views of the state of elementary and middle-level education and that guides the work the Association conducts on behalf of its members, ensuring that federal education policy reflects the priorities of its members.

Dr. Charles Hopkins, former Assistant to the Superintendent in South Hadley reflected on Jill’s work as a principal in these times “when much educational policy has focused on pushing an exclusively academic curriculum on to younger children” citing that “Jill has managed to help her staff retain a holistic view of childhood; a view in which play and imagination are central to a young child’s development.”  He further stated that “of long term and paramount importance is the staff that she has managed to attract and retain.  It is with these individuals that the life of a school develops well or not.  Jill has recruited effectively, and chosen well.”

Tony Cipro, a friend and colleague, summed up his view of Jill’s dedication as an educational leader, as one who demonstrates an innate passion for serving young children and in her belief that “Our children are the future; teach them well and they will lead the way.”

Jill lives in Southampton with her husband Barry. She is the mother of three terrific daughters: Julie, who lives with her husband Jon Couture in New Bedford, and teaches children with autism in the Fairhaven schools; Lindsay, a kindergarten teacher in Easthampton, who resides in Holyoke with her husband Chris Skelton and their two-year old daughter Becca-Anne; and Brianne, a senior Nursing and Honors student at Worcester State College.

Past Passios Award Recipients